For nearly twenty years, Tobias Sammet has been the reigning mad genius of modern heavy metal. Between his main band Edguy, and the epic concept albums he's made with his Avantasia project, no one can match the quality and output he has mustered. From helping redefine modern power metal with “Theater Of Salvation”, to reigniting the concept album as a force in metal, to showing that hard rock and heavy metal can coexist within the same band, Tobi has done it all. Every decade has had important figures who have helped define what metal was in their day, and Tobi has been that for the past decade.

As Edguy unveils their new album, “Space Police – Defenders Of The Crown”, Tobi took the time to answer a few questions on the nature of being a songwriter, his band's past and future, and a mutual musical hero.

I was first introduced to Edguy during my college years, when "Mandrake" was the band's signature album. That album was possessed of fire and heart, armed with a devil-may-care attitude and a new age power metal swagger.